Astor Shadowhawk
Astor Peregrine Erebus Adonis Spyridon Nocturne, also known as Astor Shadowhawk, is the Prince of Shadows and the current heir to the throne of Umbragard. He is the deuteragonist of Shadowbook, and the main protagonist/narrator of Royalbook. ☽ Physical Description Astor has wavy, shoulder-length black hair, a thin face, and striking violet eyes with slitted pupils. He has a pale complexion like all Umbragardian Shadows, silver lips, and delicate hands with long fingers. He has huge black-feathered wings, which he acquired by "accident" from his cousin, Abaddon, though they are a permanent part of his body. His body is svelte and somewhat muscular because of his ability to fly. Astor's folds are a luxurious six layers thick (three inner layers, flimsy layer, two outer layers). Their natural base color is royal purple. Astor is very fashion-conscious and tends to dress well whether he has to or not, preferring elegant medieval or Victorian Gothic clothing. (He freely admits that his good fashion sense could be a result of his servant's taste and expertise.) Astor is usually described as extremely attractive, in an ethereal, slightly unnerving way. That is part of why he tends to be vain. Astor delights in being able to appear bestial when he wants to, simply by covering himself with his folds, raising his wings, and flashing his violet irises. In Conscious form, his eyes turn green and his skin becomes a more natural shade of pink. Personality and Traits "I do not truly believe that the world revolves around me. I would like it to, and quite frankly being a crown prince is as close as I will ever get, but I am not stupid. I know that life does not revolve around me and that people have needs beyond my own, and I do actually care about other people’s lives." Astor is confident and beguiling. He is a skilled hunter, using his charm and breathtaking beauty to allure his prey. He takes great pride in his appearance and his abilities. He often carries a dark aura of mystery and sensuality. He inherited his mother's power and passionate intensity, but lacks her emotional control. Among his people, he carries a similar reputation to his mother. His subjects are slightly frightened of him. Behind his confident exterior, Astor is emotionally turbulent. He is an empath, which means he absorbs the emotions of other people. This often overwhelms him, and he uses arrogance as an emotional shield to shut out other people and put himself first. In the right context, Astor is remarkably intelligent and capable, but he feels intimidated by the future responsibility of being a monarch, and wants to live hedonistically while he can. His sense of compassion and empathy will ultimately be his greatest strength as a monarch. He has an inferiority complex, so he is desperate for other people to love him. Astor loves being a prince because it means he is special. He frequently makes off-handed jokes about his subjects revolting and beheading him to deal with his (mostly unfounded) fear of being despised and rejected. Astor cannot stand to be treated as inferior to anyone else. He's very defiant and snarky, and has a rebellious streak despite being a king's son. He craves special treatment to help him feel better about himself. When he is angry or offended, Astor isolates himself and becomes incredibly selfish, demanding that his servant wait on him hand and foot in an effort to restore his self esteem. He also has a bit of a guilt complex. He is afraid of how he treats people when he's angry, and although he loves the savage thrill of hunting humans, he sometimes feels ashamed afterwards and has to justify his cruelty by convincing himself that he did no real harm. He finds it fun to be wicked, but often just pretends to be evil because he can't bring himself to hurt anyone. He swings violently between compassion and cruelty. Astor may sometimes seem like a egotsitical, immature little brat (and he sometimes acts like one), but he actually has a level of budding maturity and wisdom, enough to recognize and integrate his own flaws. He also knows better than to deny the weight of his future, even if he tries to ignore it. At his best, Astor is a remarkably kind and loving person who seeks to improve the world around him and delights in making others happy. When he lets his guard down, he enthusiastically performs in public or tells stories to children. Biography Early Life Astor was raised in the Palace of Eternal Night. Though his own mother nursed him, he was raised mainly by the palace nursemaid, Elizabeth, and rarely saw his mother until he was old enough to take magic lessons from her. Though he was not necessarily sheltered, Astor had a very pampered upbringing, which was partly a result of his own demanding and condescending nature. Most of Astor's life flowed around him, whether it was intended to or not. When Astor was six, he received Willy as a gift, which provided him with a much-needed playmate and companion. Willy became his valet because Astor grew so attached to him. Beginning when he was about seven, he received lessons in governing from his father, and in magic from his mother. His skill in magic became apparent. When he was nine, Astor began Shadow Work, ashamed by his arrogance and occasional cruelty. He repressed for the first time, and had severe self-esteem issues for about a year as he processed this. When he was ten, his parents sent him off to the Conscious world for the first time, introducing him to a new and drastically different environment and culture. He lived with Nyx's foster family, and considered it an accomplishment that he resisted their attempts to "tame" him. During this period, Astor would sometimes slip back to the Otherworld. On one of these excursions, he met his uncle, who offered him the ability to fly in exchange for some sort of service. Abaddon's charm resulted in a pair of black feathered wings that permanently fused to Astor's back, and Astor just narrowly escaped being an experimental test subject for Abaddon. Astor's unsteady maturity grew throughout his teenage years. He started hunting much more regularly, using his looks, charm, and telepathy to seduce and entice his prey. He was already very accomplished at it by the time he was sixteen, in part because of using glamour to make himself appear older. Shadowbook Some six months before he met Nyx, Astor had a vivid nightmare in which he was drowning, and rescued by a red-haired girl. Astor did not immediately recognize Nyx as the girl from his dream when he met her, but he was instantly attracted by her willingness to know her Shadow and her headstrong personality. Not knowing what else to do, he watched her and even followed her until he found a time and place to meet her. Desperate and confused by his emotions, he eagerly brought Nyx to the Shadow Realm after only one meeting. Worried that he might have overwhelmed her, he switched tactics and began to meet her more frequently, in her own world. They formed the foundation of a real relationship, finding that they were compatible and that they enjoyed each other's company. Astor realizes that Nyx must understand how hunting works if she is to be a Shadow, so he chooses a victim whom Nyx does not care about to demonstrate. He puts on an overly dramatic show, but almost scares Nyx away, and he does not immediately recognize why. In an attempt to make up with Nyx, he meets her under a tree to talk through the purpose of hunting, their lives, and their opinions of each other. Astor is delighted when Nyx decides she trusts him, and notices that their eyes match. Astor slowly helps Nyx transition to Shadow life, planning from the beginning to let her live with him. He takes her and her friends on various shenanigans, and finally offers her a life with him in the Palace. He is absolutely thrilled when Nyx accepts. Spyro receives news of Abaddon's presence near Umbragard, and Astor foolishly decides to personally settle his issues with his uncle. He ends up bringing along all of Nyx's innocent, defenseless friends. Despite his magical skill, Astor nearly dies multiple times in Abaddon's death-trap labyrinth. He nearly falls prey to a she-demon, almost drowns (as in his dream), and then almost freezes to death as a result. Nyx saves him every single time. During his fight with Abaddon, his guardian familiar is revealed in the form of a black unicorn called Itzal, who was a dormant statue throughout Astor's childhood. At the end of the final battle, Astor saves Nyx in return, with magic powder from his mother. Exhausted but relieved at having won, Astor returns to the Palace with his companions, and his distraught parents. Magical Abilities Astor is the son of a powerful sorceress and he was born on a Dark Moon, so his magical powers are particularly impressive. However, Astor is not fully aware of the extent of his powers, and Hecate insists that he figure it out himself. Umbrakinesis: Astor is proficient at most forms of shadow and darkness manipulation. * Umbrakinetic Constructs: Astor can mold darkness and shadows into any shape or image, creating both tangible and intangible constructs, even solid weapons. He can use intangible shadows to seal off barriers, conceal himself, obstruct his enemies, and occasionally absorb solid objects. In battle, he can create semi-tangible balls or umbrous "tentacles" that cause extreme pain (but no other damage). One of his favorite attacks involves firing hundreds of sharp arrow-like shafts of pure darkness. When not in battle, Astor sometimes conjures shadowy ravens or bats for fun. Like most umbrakinetics (and indeed, Shadows in general), Astor is physically more powerful in low light, though as usual, complete darkness causes a stalemate. * Shade Conjuration: He can conjure a small posse of Shades to fight alongside him, but only briefly, and the individual Shades are not particularly strong. * Umbrateleportation: He can travel through darkness, from any place to almost any other place, and even between worlds. * Darkening/Light Absorption: Astor can cast the "Noctem Aeternus" or "Abyss" spell to temporarily shroud an area in darkness, increasing his own potency but preventing him (and enemies) from using any other umbrakinetic magic. Telepathy: Astor's Nightsense, which he inherited from his mother. He can read people's thoughts, communicate with other people telepathically, and detect human presence by listening for thoughts. He often exploits this ability while hunting, to use his prey's desires and fears to his advantage. * Hypnosis: Astor uses telepathy to subtly project thoughts and feelings into people's heads in order to influence their behavior. His victims struggle to distinguish his projected thoughts from their own. He is not able to fully control another person's mind, but when he combines this ability with dream magic, he might as well be. * Memory Tampering: Astor's telepathy allows him to implant false recollections of events. He rarely does this except to cover up hunts, causing people to forget or misinterpret their interactions with him. He can only do this immediately after the event has actually taken place. * Empathy: A related psychic ability that forces Astor to absorb or mirror the emotions of other people. His sensitivity so overwhelming, he often lashes out or isolates himself when he can't control his emotions. However, empathy also makes Astor an extremely compassionate person. Illusion: Astor is incredibly skilled at casting illusions, both projections and glamours. He uses them to confuse enemies, disguise or alter his appearance, amuse himself, and generally mess with perception. He is even capable of altering entire environments to a degree. Exactly how difficult it is for him to maintain depends on how big or how detailed the illusion is. He can theoretically project anything, but his illusions maintain a "shadowy" quality, and he has difficulty conjuring any significant amount of light. * Dream Magic: A combination of illusion and telepathy allows Astor to directly implant dreams in people's heads, and alter their perception both internally and externally. * Nightmare control: From his mother's side of the family, Astor can control Nightmares, semi-sentient beings that force people to confront their fears. Shapeshifting: Astor has limited shapeshifting abilities. He can temporarily become a blackbird or a cat, but can only maintain this form for a limited time (compared to Senka, who can become a wolf indefinitely). He can also disintegrate into shadowy smoke, enabling him to travel quickly, escape restraints, and fit through small spaces, but he can maintain this intangible form for even less time. Pyrokinesis: Astor can conjure violet Shadow-fire that gives off very little heat. He uses it mostly for effect, and/or to provide a low light source for Umbrakinesis. Relationships Nyx "''I just ''knew that I had ''to be with you the moment I set eyes on you. You are passionate, like me, and authentic. There is nothing superficial about you. You are probably more mature than I am. I admire your courage, Nyx, and your resilience... I love your bravery, and your free-spirited nature… I love how even though you have been through so many hardships, you continue to try to be kind—" ''-Astor's description of why he loves Nyx Astor loves Nyx more than anything else in the world. Rescuing her from foster care made him feel like a missing piece of himself entered his life. Astor was so eager to introduce Nyx to his Shadow life that he came on a little bit too fast, and almost scared her away. Though a master of seduction, Astor struggled to court her because for once, he had genuine good intentions. He even stalked her like a cat until he realized his mistakes and humbly apologized. Nothing makes Astor happier than pampering Nyx and treating her like a princess. Although Nyx almost instantly calms Astor down, he rarely lets her near him when he's angry because he's afraid of hurting her. He underestimates how much she's been through and how much she can tolerate, because he assumes that if she were to see him in a rage, she would no longer love him. Nyx can take anything Astor throws at her, so she slowly helps him to get over this. Spyro mentions that she brings out the best in him. Willy Astor depends on Willy to function. Being waited on hand and foot makes Astor feel loved (or at least satisfied) when he is in a rage, so Willy often has to bear the brunt of his emotional outbursts. He is extremely appreciative of Willy's ability to put up with him when he's angry. Willy's willing submission and obedience is something Astor will never understand, and he often fears that Willy is not genuinely happy, though Willy assures him that he is. Astor prizes Willy's unwavering loyalty, and is constantly satisfied with Willy's service. Astor would trust Willy with almost anything, including his folds, important information, even his life (a level of trust he has for no one else but Nyx and his parents). Astor's affection for Willy is similar to a child's for a pet (whether he slightly returns Willy's deeper affection for him is never specified), but he does care deeply about Willy's happiness and free will. Jasmine Though Astor and Jasmine love each other deep down, they often seem to hate each other. Jasmine perceives Astor as being unfit to rule because of his immaturity, arrogance, and hedonism (mostly because she is secretly envious of his status as heir). Her constantly judgmental nature makes Astor's inferiority complex even worse, because she makes him even more aware of his difficult flaws. Though she often has a point about his behavior, she fails to see Astor's deeper maturity and leadership. Jasmine frustrates Astor, but he does enjoy good-natured banter with her. Spyro Astor feels closer with Spyro than any other member of his immediate family, because Spyro is kinder and more open than Hecate, he is not withdrawn like Orphe, and he does not judge Astor the way Jasmine does. He feels comfortable talking with his father when he needs parental guidance. Astor looks up to his father and hopes to be as good a king. Hecate Astor is intimidated by his mother and slightly fearful of her, like everyone else. She is one of the only people Astor will obey without question. He deeply respects his mother, and slowly realizes how much he is like his mother and how proud she is of him.